What Only Time Can Heal
by THE Kawaii Panda
Summary: After years of established peace, the Evans household has been reduced to just Soul and his daughter after his previous marriage with Maka. Has single parenthood of a rebellious teen proven more stress than he can handle? How long will it be until he becomes a threat to his only child, and potentially even Death City? Larger plans are at hand than they think...
1. Chapter 1 - Last Deathscythe's Daughter

Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Eater, it's characters, or its concepts!

Note: Thank you to everyone who decided to switch over to this. I'd wanted to just edit the previous version, but there are a lot of changes to make, and so it would be faster to edit on my computer, then re-upload it. So here is the updated edition of "Time Heals All". I'm using a lot of previous content with the alterations made onto it, so I should be able to update quickly for you to catch you all back up to where you were (with some difference in the story, of course.) Enjoy!

Chapter 1: The Last Deathscythe's Daughter

Long, pale arms stretched out from beneath bedsheets. The girl was an odd one. She typically slept entirely underneath the blanket, where as anyone else would have found it hard to breath. But the warmth was soothing. It also made it easy to stuff pillows and stuffed animals underneath it to fool anyone should she want to sneak out, but really, there was no reason to, as tempting as it'd been time to time. All the reasons she could think of to do so were pretty lame in comparison to the wild parties that any other typical teenager would desire to attend.

Finally sitting up like a zombie stiffly rising from their death bed, as her arms dragged beside her, she brought her hand up to rub her tired eyes. Really, mornings just weren't her thing. Chrona was a rather night owl, taking up after her mother in healthy habits of reading. The daughter of Soul and Maka loved all sorts of stories: fantasy, sci-fi, anything but romance, because romance was something she carried utter disgust for. (Fortunately Chrona hadn't inherited her mother's chop!)

Now standing to graze to her restroom the young lady stood in front of the mirror. Chrona's appearance was much that of her father's, although there were touches of her mother, too, that gave her an almost frail look. Her hair was long, more than halfway down her back in fact, wispy, and white as a dove. Her skin was light, but not quite to the ghostly extent. Familiar jade eyes flattered the near-albino look, somewhat rounded on top, but still narrow, a real combination of both her parent's.

All in all, at age sixteen, she could have really turned her tom-boy image around and get any guy she wanted. But no, no, the girl wouldn't have that at all! Girly things were for… well, _real_ girls! Her… she was free spirit instead and enjoyed the intimidation she imposed on boys. They left her alone and settled to admire from the unseen sidelines; and she was more than happy with that. No one's opinion mattered, and she mattered with no one's opinion in return. Except since her recent accomplishment, the attention was almost unavoidable.

A rather pleasant aroma caught the daughter's attention, though. Floating down the white stairway, she made way to where it came from: the kitchen. "Smells delicious!" she exclaimed, throwing herself on a stool in front of the serving bar. Peering up at her dad, she offered a pleasant smile.

"Of course, Chrona! Years of practice…" Soul commented back, offering a calm smile in return. "One day, you're going to have to learn how to do this, you know. I won't be around forever to do it for you."

Chrona's upturned lips pursed down now, and Soul could almost hear a grumble come from his girl. "Cooking is for feminists!" Soul raised an eyebrow at the comment, and the girl could tell the offense she'd just made. "I mean, well… I just don't want to! I'd rather do battles than fumble with _food_. I mean c'mon… _death scythe_ here?" Chrona bragged, drawing a finger to point to herself and maintaining confident eye contact with him.

Soul casually smirked at the boastful self-comment, remembering his moment of accomplishment and the pride he'd felt, only, his pride carried more focus on his meister than himself. She, his daughter, was slightly opposite in her reaction. Instead, she relished the title as if it were the shirt on her back. Really, though, he couldn't blame her.

"Well, you did very well, honey. Just remember…" Soul stopped to turn and face his daughter closer, taking her hands into his as he spoke from his heart into hers. "Being a Deathscythe is an _honor_ , not a privilege. Take pride in what you do and use it to do well for others. Lord Death is entrusting you with this city's safety, and I know you'll do well in holding it up!" Soul's encouraging words were stern and wise. He couldn't emphasize enough the power she'd been given over others. The responsibility to protect Death City, possibly even the world, and its inhabitants was no small burden.

Ever since the defeat of Asura, the pact Shibusen made with the witches barred further creations of deathscythes. The extremely rare cases that such was allowed – and by personal notice of approval by the head of the witches herself – was when one went out of line to enough extreme that they were of great concern. It was only fair to the institution for their pact, and the only way that Lord Death would accept. Magic was a power thing, after all! Even then, the number of Death's representatives was limited to a reasonable amount that could be easily agreed to.

Astonishingly enough, Soul's only child had been chosen to receive the honor of ascending. Otherwise, there were very few left, only the very few needed in this time of peace. As of how others came to pass away in such great numbers… that's an entirely different story. Now that the girl had eaten and packed, though, she rushed out the door. "Love you, dad!" she shouted as she ran out, letting the door shut behind her.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"About time…" Caleb said as he watched his weapon partner nearly clash into her locker. He was posed like the coolest cat in in town, his tall lean frame leaned up against the metal with the most emotionless expression anyone could muster. It wasn't all in act, though. He really was as non-chalaunt as he put himself out to be, and like his partner, didn't care what anybody else thought. Instead of intimidation, though, his perspective was seen more in the idea of intellectual respect. Now that he'd created a Deathscythe, it only increased.

In fact, anybody would call him a nerd if anything else, and not just because of the small square framed glasses resting on his face. He had the smarts that helped them outwit many of their foes. Together, they had strategy on their side, capable of fooling many in multiple ways. Some of this could be due to his professional chess skills, learning to predict opponent's moves before they make them and prepare for them. Another part could be that they were forced to become creative with their defeats.

"Hi Caleb! Sorry, I was at my dad's. Oh, well, you got the note anyway…" The girl grinned, throwing her hand up to display a peace sign. "I'm coming back home tonight, by the way!"

He merely smirked in return. It was his silent way of asking 'Miss me?' and he knew his weapon partner had caught it. Their communication was like that. It signaled mainly through their resonance, considering his typical quiet ways. His signature responses were either one-sentence statements, except in cases of necessity, or silent expressions, most of which only Chrona could decipher. For this, she was their main spokesman.

"Oh you know you missed me!" Chrona gloated, her father's inherited signature grin plastered on her face. " ' _Loner'_ , my butt!" she said in proud glee.

Finally, Caleb answered, moving his sandy hair out of the way to expose mysterious brown eyes. "We need to make time for training…"

"I know, I know! It's just…"

Now Caleb raised an eyebrow, waiting to hear what excuse she was going to come up with. Really, the girl was a hard worker with goals, but when it came to accomplishing them, she seemed to forget that more were bound to follow. This was the life they'd chosen to pursue.

"Okay, fine, it's a party, a big one, too, since we were so _awesome_! At least let me this small bit of celebration before we do anything else big?" Chrona gave a light desperate whine that Caleb could only sigh to. It was just one party, anyway, right? It's not like it was the end of the world. "I'll even play some of that music you like!"

Caleb laughed under light breath. "Alright, alright… but afterwards?"

Now Chrona smiled even larger. "Mmm hmm! Of course! How else are we going to nail those things that nobody else will get to do, eh?" The new deathscythe winked and received a smile in return. Ahh perhaps there was some pride in her meister afterwards!


	2. Chapter 2 - An Unexpected Guest

Chapter 2: An Unexpected Guest

The banquet was filled. Friends of the accomplished girl seemed to fill every inch of the building. Seeing as she wanted it to be a large celebration, she'd opened it up beyond just her friends alone, too. Among the additions were namely Marie, Kid, Patty, Liz, Kale, Mina and Jade. Banners hung about each corner of the large room with small groups of two and three balloons in various colors tied in between each rise.

Just at the right back corner was a table with many fancy hot snacks and foods, including sushi rolls, won tons, and a large tray of cracker assortments accompanied by cheese, ham and turkey, and more. Beside it was red disposable cups filled with a home-made fruit punch. Last, but not least was a large, single white layer cake with Shibusen's skull in darker frosting.

"Geez, Chrona is late, isn't she?" commented Mina. She always posed to be the impatient one of the clique. However, in this case, everyone could agree that it was not like Chrona to arrive in such a fashionably late style, much less for her own party. Mina's black punk-style top complimented her tight blue jeans that she hoped would draw attention, even though she planned on simply turning every interested pursuer down.

Jade, on the other hand, preferred to carry on a whole different appearance. Her elegant slender figure fit perfectly in a sophisticated top and fitted skirt. "Oh, don't worry; I'm sure there's a perfectly good reason."

Kale nodded in agreement. Dressed in his usual attire, he rose his hands up to indicate to the girls that he would return shortly. He was off to the beverage table to get a drink.

"Heh, you wanna make a bet on how many words he will say tonight?" A snicker fell upon Mina's face. The girls shifted their eyes back to Kale, who was taking his sweet time to balance three cups of punch back.

"Are you serious? I bet he will leave early, even. Knowing him, the only reason he's here now is because Chrona begged him. Sometimes I don't understand his lack of social skills…"

Laughter came upon the two. Just then Soul presented himself in front of the two plotting girls. "And what mischief are you two up to this early?" the father asked.

Mina and Jade returned a warm gesture back. "Nothing, Mr. Evans!" they responded simultaneously, trying to give him respectful greeting.

An embarrassed and hesitant impression came over Soul's face. "Aww really? I'm not that old already, am I?" He threw a hand behind his head, not sure of what to think of the comment. "I told you, just call me Soul-San..."

"Sorry Mr. E- I mean… Soul-San. Anyways, where is Chrona?" Jade felt awkward asking, but something had to satisfy the curiosity that filled their minds.

Suddenly, several people scattered from one side as there was a crash through the wall. Kid stopped and stood in front of it, petrified, his mouth froze in a dropped expression. "T-t-the wall….! The perfect symmetry, ruined! Whatever will I do now!" He frantically began to scramble up the rubble in a futile effort to put it all back in its place.

"Heh, what's the big deal? It's just a wall. Anyway, a party's not a party without Black Star around! If it weren't for a certain deathscythe, I'd be the main star around here now! Hahahahaha!" Black star gloated, standing back up in a rather confident position, his fists at his hips and his head held high. The lone clan member had not lost a bit of his pride or energy, and still rather loved dressing in his ninja-clan attire. It was as if he had just graduated from Shibusen.

Soul brought himself to the scene, but not in such an upset manner as Kid. "Well, Black Star, making a grand entrance as usual?" He smiled, knowing that his best friend wouldn't miss the day. Shaking his head, he continued. "Kid, you're never going to give up your obsession with symmetry are you, even as an official Shinigami?" he asked in humor.

Black Star burst out in his obnoxious voice "What kind of Shinigami would he be if he didn't? A boring one! You just keep freaking out, Kid… I'm going to check out what the DJ is playing!"

"Before you go, do you know where my daughter is?" Soul asked in concern before Black Star departed from the two.

"Ha, like I know right now?" Then she walked in. Black Star squinted toward the glass entrance. Soul couldn't help but to shift his attention quickly, too. "Yup! You need not worry, buddy! The party star finally arrived! Well, that is, besides myself! You guys can stand around all you want. Only losers stand around doing nothing!" With this, Black Star departed from his two friends to join the excitement of the crowd jumping to the beat.

As Chrona walked in, memories flooded into his head. She was wearing the same dress that Maka had worn so long ago to the Shibusen ball. The purple colored dress held up by two thin straps, complimented with a choker of the same shade, still remained in a great condition yet.

"Daddy! Over here! Look what I found!" She leaped with joy to where he was standing, still in an optimistic shock of her discovery. "Well, you can stop staring now! What do you think? I found it while looking through old clothes!" Chrona giggled in glee. She felt as though she had found a pot of gold!

"Wow…" Soul nearly found himself breathless. "It… fits you perfectly!" A true joy from his heart couldn't help but bring a smile to his face, for this, he knew _she_ would have been very happy about. "It couldn't look any better on anybody else, Chrona."

"Oh! Daddy! Where's Mina and Ka- oh! Never mind! I found them! Thanks dad!" Chrona gave Soul a quick hug and ran off into the crowd. She always was a quite energetic one, but he was thankful for that. Somebody had to break the silence around the house.

Now Soul sought a spot alone. Once outside again, the night air was refreshing and listening to the melody of crickets chirping was soothing. However, there was a rustling near about. He definitely was not alone. His attention quickly turned ahead of him. An unrecognized figure was approaching, running down the road.

"Hiii!" a positive and familiar voice rang in the night air. The unexpected guest stopped in front of him, panting from exhaustion. "I'm sorry I… hah… Oh! How rude of me! Ah… can I join you?" A smile beamed from her face. Her double-layered dress, which revealed a white flowing skirt underneath a black vest, was topped with an odd, but recognizable design of yellow and black swirled eyes and a swirled tongue sticking out of the mouth below them. Neither had her hair changed, remaining as a brunette shoulder length bob with short bangs that complimented her hazel eyes.

"Angela! How have you been? How did you know about this?" Much time had passed since they each departed to their own worlds. Times had been peaceful, but that had not changed the fact that witches preferred to remain in their own world. This should only be natural, however, as it was the place where each received their proper training and teachings, or rather new teachings, at that.

Angela held up a worn, wrinkled flyer. "She gave me this! Well, I don't know if she meant to, or knew what I am, but… I just thought I could at least come say hi while I'm in the area." Lately, Angela had spent more time in her own kind's world, learning the control of her witchcraft that no meister or weapon could have possibly taught her. The training had been so intense, and she enjoyed visiting where she came from, so it'd been a few years since they'd actually been able to really talk.

"Oh, right, of course… come have a seat!" Soul waved for her to come inside. Certainly it would have been rude to leave her standing outside. She was as close to them as any other student in Shibusen, having practically grown up around them. Since the peace treaty, she was so understanding about the balance they so frailly maintained.

Angela nodded pleasantly in acceptance. The two walked back into the building, making their way to the snack table, where each grabbed a cup of punch, and found an available seat at a nearby table. "To peace!" the witch said. "There's been about two decades of agreement now. It seems that the peace treaty Kid made went well, even if it did have its rough edges time to time! He has proven to make an excellent Shinigami, after all!"

"Wait, so… you're not… _aggravated_ about it? Or… feeling awkward about being here?"

The witch knew what he was referring too. "Why would I be aggravated? It's just a party. And besides, Lena was… well let's just say our world feels more at ease now with her gone. And now that's one more weapon against the kishins! Why would I be mad about something that benefits us both?"

Both looked toward the snack table containing the individually made cups of punch. Here, Kid could now be found constantly arranging the cups as others grabbed them so every number of rows and columns were even and straight.

"Agreed. We're thankful for the opportunity to work with you at last." This was a conversation he could participate in semi-intellectually without looking like an idiot for too long since he had been there for the events. In fact, it was an honor just to be speaking as a Death Scythe, since not many existed after the unexpected attacks. The only other Deathscythes as of now were Soul, Spirit, and Marie. "So, I have to ask… how do the other witches handle it?"

"Well, to be honest, not as bad as it could have been. Some refuse to speak of it, and give a foul look when the subject is brought up. Otherwise most are very happy just to not be hunted anymore! I'd say it pays off very well in the end, but that's just my personal opinion." Angela took a sip of punch they'd picked up earlier and gave an assuring smile in response. "So, this could be a touchy subject, but… about Maka…"

Just before she could finish, Soul cut her off abruptly. "Don't worry about it…." His smile shook off slightly. Soul could not hide the uneasiness. It has been nearly fifteen years since the incident. "I'd rather not go into the ordeal. At any rate, I'm thankful to still have Chrona, at least…" His gaze shifted back to Chrona, who was having a rather good time dancing with Mina and Jade.

As usual, it was up to Chrona to pull Kale into the slightest sociable spirit. His daughter seemed to grow up into a happy individual, despite her mother's leave. This made Soul laugh for a bit. However, just as he had turned back, Angela was no longer in her seat. He spotted her just at the door, her flimsy black hat nearly falling off as she had to catch it.

"So sorry!" Angela shouted his way. "I really have to go! I _completely_ forgot about something important! Oh, and, congratulate Chrona for me!" Off with those last words, she zoomed out the exit. She was never known for formal entries or exits. Despite, it was nice just knowing she had grown up witnessing the good virtues between the two parties.

"That girl…. I'm glad the sway never got to her." With this, Soul gulped down the small last bit of his punch. A sour look came upon his face almost immediately. The last bit did not taste as he had expected it to. He muttered to himself for a moment in confusion. Standing up, he gave a shout out to the Shinigami. "Kid, I'm shocked! Your serving perfection has at last found a flaw!"

A panicked look came upon Kid's face, which only brought the much needed laughter to Soul's spirit after the rekindling conversation. "What! I did it perfectly! Six cups of fruit punch… One cup of… wait…. This is not symmetrical at all! Twelve cups of fruit punch… two cups of carbonated water… It's useless! What horrible, disgusting mixture!"

Soul laughed at the scene. Two more familiar figures approached him at the table. "Ah, do I see a real smile? This kind of miracle also calls for a dance!" Pattie's short blonde hair flipped into Soul's eyes as she shouted within less than a foot's range in his face with glee. She grabbed his hands and dragged him quickly to the floor.

Liz followed just behind him to push him along. "It's a party, Soul! Get out there and have some fun for once!" The sisters were more than ecstatic for the opportunity to do something other than teach. Their fates turned them into Shibusen instructors. It wasn't something that they minded, but their thoughts were always churning on finding something fun to do when duty did not call, and this was the perfect opportunity! Liz threw out a few moves and wiggles of her hips, giving Soul a little side-bump. "See, it's not that hard to enjoy yourself! You just gotta get out more!" Liz continued.

He had to admit, this was fun actually celebrating something for once…


	3. Chapter 3 - Fight for Love

Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Eater, its characters, or its concepts. Originally, I was going to leave this part out and cut to the next, but it's fairly important in character expression and development, so, I'll submit it anyway.

Chapter 3 – Fight for Love

The party was nearing to an end with about an hour left till the place needed to be shut down. Soul couldn't help but to watch his daughter as she enjoyed herself on the floor. So much work had been put into making this night one of the most memorable. Eventually his daughter would have to really crack down to business, so it was nice seeing her have some fun. That spunk she carried was something big, and something that needed to be lived out so she could take her career seriously.

As Soul thought back to the dress she'd found, the memory of Maka came into his head. His thoughts went back to the Shibusen Ball, the night just before Asura had been reawakened. ' _If only I had danced with her then!_ ' How stubborn he'd been back then to stay alone! The man shook it off quickly, though. ' _No, I have to think about my own daughter! She's the one I'm here for!_ '

"About time you came back out here! You've been sitting entirely too long!" Liz shouted, continuing to jump around and wiggle her body excitedly. The woman grabbed his hands, dragged him to the middle, and proceeded to do the twist.

Soul blushed, trying to free himself from her grasp. Now he found himself getting spun around like they were two pre-teens at a school dance. Suddenly, Soul's head began to swim in a fit of dizziness, though and he quickly grabbed onto Liz' shoulder to regain balance.

"Can't handle the action, eh?" Liz responded. "Sit back down if you want… but you better come back!"

"Don't worry… My head just hurts a bit." Soul cracked a slight smile towards them. "It's okay, go ahead and keep dancing. I'll just take some medicine and come back in a moment."

"Okay, but don't take too long!" replied Patty in a continued optimistic voice. With this, the sisters jumped back into their energetic routine. Now they saw their albino friend make way to his table and leaned back into a chair as he sent a smile their way, sipping on the drink he left behind.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Still on actively on the floor, too, was Chrona, equally as energetic as the Thompson sisters. She was distracted by a tap on her shoulder, however. Behind her stood yet another boy who would not give up on trying to win her heart. She did not recall inviting him, however. "How did you…"

"I followed you! I haven't forgotten what you said, either. 'Don't be foolish!' Ha! I won't give up. In fact… I have a challenge for you instead…" His brunette shaggy hair was never combed, nor did he bother to dress past throwing a Shibusen t-shirt and casual blue jeans. Sloan was his name, and he had his eyes on her since he first met her.

Chrona wasn't sure how to respond to this other than averting a confused look to her friends and shifting it back to him. "A challenge? Seriously?" She paused a moment, and burst out into a loud laughter. "And what kind of challenge were you thinking about? And what'll I get out of it?" A smile of confidence came about her face, of which nearly guaranteed agreement. There was rarely a challenge she couldn't say yes to, but this struck her curiosity.

"The challenge…. is a fight!" Everybody nearby gasped. "Right here, right now! If I win, you have to go on a date with me! If you win… I'll…." He stopped for a moment, observing the skeptical look she was patiently shooting back. "If you win, I'll leave you alone… for a year!"

A heavy sigh was heard from her in dis belief of the method he was attempting. "Fine… but I'm in a dress? I think you owe me a _small_ handicap? And NO trying to look up my dress!" She shot her hand out, waiting for agreement on the terms.

"It's a deal! Heh, I can win you over like this any day I want! And no weapon forms, either! " He gripped her hand in return with a single, hard shake, and backed up, stancing himself for the minor battle. His look was one of confidence, as was Chrona's. The crowd around them circled around the duo, excitement reflecting in their eyes as the adrenalin pumped in anxiety of who would come out on top.

"Fine, I don't need my weapon form to defeat you anyway! Ahahahaha!" Chrona stanced herself as well, pausing to remember that the dress she wore. With this thought in mind, she decided to roll the skirt up just high enough so she could fight without tearing it. She had no shame in showing a little leg. Just then, the boy came roaring at her with a full fist forward. She managed to catch it quickly, barely stopping it from swiping the side of her face.

The crowd was roaring with excitement as they cheered on. With this, the boy continued his aggressive attack with another fist coming in through the other side. He was quicker than Chrona had anticipated. The sixteen year old barely managed to duck under while still holding his right hand, but soon followed with an upper cut with her right hand right into his stomach. He backed up, holding his stomach in pain. "Oh, so we're playing hard ball now, huh? I was being easy on you, but its game on! Prepare to lose!" he bragged, a confident smile on his face.

Chrona dusted her dress lightly, or what bit of it wasn't rolled up. She could tell she was receiving an undressing look from him. The fact that she wasn't afraid to fight him only encouraged him even more. Of course, bravery is what she was known for. There was nothing she was afraid to do, even if it put her into Death's office, where she was prepared to receive her scolding. What reputation he would earn just for going out with the daughter of one of the few famous Death Scythes, Soul Eater Evans, at that! Quickly were combinations of left and right jabs. She continued to dodge what she could, an occasional blow landing.

She returned his attacks with a successful leg sweep, knocking him down to the ground, where she twisted him into a tight hold, nearly flashing her own underwear, though that was the least of her concern.

At that moment, just at the dining tables, Marie, who had just barely noticed the disruption. She jutted to the table where Soul still remained, his head lain down on his crossed arms. "Soul! Are you paying attention?" Soul only mumbled in an uncomprehendable manner. He was well unaware and completely off focus to the events that were occurring. "Fine… If you can't do it, I'll just have to stop it myself!" Marie stormed angrily through the crowd circling the biggest entertainment of the night. She stepped into the middle of the fight, grabbing each opponent by their arms, separating them so they could no longer reach each other, despite that they continued to swing their arms wildly in effort.

"Stop it, you two! This is no place or time to be conducting this sort of business! Now, I would like to know what happened here." She let the two parties go. Her age certainly did not reflect any loss of strength or passion. They dropped to the ground, rubbing their cheeks with a look of disgust. Neither party budged even an inch to explain. Marie sighed in disappointment, knowing she did not have the mind to discipline the girl at her own party.

The boy was rather roughed up. Chrona was not an easy one to fight. She was not one to pick her battles by merely tugging hair and scratching faces. He stood, still, dusting off his own clothes. "One day, I'm going to get a rematch! You'll see!" He shot a quick wink. At this point, Marie had no idea what was going on. She was just happy to see the scuffle end as he jutted from the grand apartment.

"Save it for the kishins, will ya?!" The death scythe stopped her speech, leaving the scene toward the table where Soul still remained. She finally reached the table, tapping Soul's shoulder gently. With this, Soul popped his head up quickly from the white-clothed table he'd rested it on.

"You okay?" Marie smiled pleasantly.

His voice was hesitant, but he'd mustered an answer anyway. "Y-yeah… headache, that's all." Now he returned the gentle smile in attempt to reassure her. It didn't do well in what he'd intended, though. Really, he didn't feel up to talking. It was only one hour left, and if he could endure this small amount of time, he could officially claim that he'd been there the entire time for his little girl.

Insistent to interfere as a caring fellow Deathscythe and friend, though, Marie pulled up a chair beside him, straightening her own dress politely before sitting. "You know, I could handle from here if you want to go home! You've done enough as it is."

"No, no… I need to be here for her. What kind of father would I be if I wasn't?" Soul answered.

Marie shook her head, smile still on her face. "You've always been there for her, Soul… go, take a break, get some medicine. You don't get headaches like this often, so I'm sure she'll understand!"

Red eyes looked into amber ones, challenging glares to see whose stubbornness would win. The headache growing on Soul's mind interrupted though, the loud music really not helping, and he knew Marie could see the slight wince he'd given in the midst of their stare. She'd won. " _Fine, fine_ … but don't let her get into any trouble, okay? See that she makes it home safe."

Soul had finally exhausted himself for the night, and really didn't make good company anyway. Accepting this one-time-excuse, the weapon entrusted Marie and made his way home, nestled himself in bed while his daughter enjoyed the rest of her night. Chrona, as the chosen weapon to ascend since his very own ascention, deserved the celebration before the real work began. This was the least he could offer her.


	4. Chapter 4 - Supply and Demand

Chapter 4: Supply and Demand

Soul could see her well. Was this really happening? Maka had returned, and had nothing but rejoice and care to give back after all the years she'd been gone. Her red plaid skirt waved about in wind at the open door as she stood, simply awaiting for his long lost hold. He quickly began to run towards her in glee, but as he did, the air drew about darkness. The closer he was, the less he could make out of her beyond an outlined figure. Still, her voice was recognizable, and this drove him to keep reaching for her. "I'm home, Soul…" she said, luring him in for a moment of long desired compassion.

"Maka!" Tears shed from his eyes. He couldn't believe what he was seeing, what he was experiencing. It seemed an impossible request, but here she was, right in front of him. Just as he finally reached where she stood, he threw his arms out to embrace her and protect her from the darkness that overcame them.

In that split second, a flash came before his eyes, and the silhouette quickly turned into dust. Fire abruptly surrounded him within the house, leaving no place for safety but to remain standing where he was. Flames were in every direction he tried to turn. "MAKA!" Soul cried out desperately. No, this couldn't be real… Soul felt only the despair of the thought that the pleasant image he had seen before was nothing more than a mirage.

Now he quickly sat up from his bed, panting in horror and throwing the blanket to the side so quick they landed nearly on the floor. Sitting still, Soul caught his breath from the horrific image he'd just had. "Of course…." Disappointment filled his voice as beads of sweat dropped down his face. "Just a dream…." He rubbed his face into his now clammy hands, sighing. "Get a grip of yourself, Soul… it's over and done with." The past always found a way to haunt him in some way, but it had been years since the memory found itself into his dreams as well.

He lied back down and gripped his pillow as if it were a companion. ' _Why does the bed still feel so empty again so suddenly? I should be used to this by now_.' Soul had become wide awake and restless now. There was no longer any reason to even try to fall asleep again; else it would only come back as he couldn't get his thoughts to stop dwelling on it.

Giving up on slumber, the man stood up from bed at last, resolved to simply prepare a nice breakfast. Too bad Chrona wasn't here to enjoy it with him! The company might have soothed his now-aching heart.

Hours later, he was ready to walk out the door when the phone rang. Noting Shibusen's number on the caller ID, Soul sighed reluctantly. The man really wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone. After such a horrible dream (and oh how real it felt), just another reminder of the lonely feeling in his home, the man really just wanted to get the day over with so he could wake up to a happier one tomorrow where he _wasn't_ reminded of the lack of Maka's presence.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Half the day had gone by and it'd just passed lunch time when Chrona and Kidd strode to where Kidd stood in the Death Room. It's spacious and dark demeanor still carried some magnificence in Chrona's eyes. Little had she any business called into this utmost highly regarded space. Its access to the world was limitless, a mirror on each side where weapons and meisters could be called at Kidd's own whim. Except for now, counting as only the _second_ time she'd been beckoned here.

"Lord Death!" the girl called out for the both of them. Kales eyes were just as attentive, though he, too, discretely tried to peek around the space.

Kidd smiled at their admiration. They weren't hiding their amazement very well, but he'd just stay silent about it and let continue. In due time, the "amaze" factor would die down, and they'd grow used to visiting him here. At any rate, there was no sense in waiting. "Chrona, Kale… How are you two doing today?"

"We're wonderful, sir!" the white haired girl gloated, grabbing her partner around the shoulder and pulling him in tight by surprise. Her sudden grasp nearly knocked the breath out of meister not expecting such a strong response. Of course then again, perhaps he should have looked for it anyway. This was just a part of who she was. Nothing was done only halfway when it came to this girl!

The Death God chuckled slightly. "Well then, I'm glad to hear, because I have a job for you two!"

"Yes sir! What can we do for you?" asked Kale.

Chrona intervened before the Death God answered. "Whaaaaaa?! But I'm still tired from the party! Can we have a break first, you know, to get a snack so we can be at full energy?" Stretching her arms up into a "V" above her head, the girl let out an exhausted yawn. _Nice_ , perfect timing for the yawn to arrive! Maybe today she would be given an exception. There were bound to be plenty of other opportunities to arrive for the two to head out into another battle.

Kidd sighed. He couldn't blame her _entirely_ for this outlook. She was a very new piece who'd grown up in a world without urgency, unlike himself. Emergencies like the ones he'd experienced with Asura didn't occur as often. Still, there were always possibilities of danger, something she needed to learn in her new role. "Only a _small_ one, but please do come back quickly, else I'll have to send someone else. It's rather important." He stated.

Kale nodded sternly and Chrona gasped slightly in response. They were _really_ needed for something _urgent_?! Talk about V.I.P. status, the weapon thought to herself. Oh, the stories she could tell her class mates! In the midst of her astonished pride, her meister mildly jabbed her in the side with his elbow. This perked her up as she winced slightly, one eye closed. " _Alright, alright!_ " The girl muttered under silent breath.

She was well aware that he knew their responsibilities now. Chrona knew as well, but hadn't expected that they'd have to get serious this soon.

Before she closed the door behind them, Kidd grabbed her attention one more time. "Remember, your role in Shibusen is a serious one, Chrona. Not all tasks can be done at your own convenience, miss. What if it had been an enemy tearing down the school?"

"R-Right sir…"


	5. Chapter 5 - And The Next Challenger Is

Chapter 4: And The Next Challenger Is…

"Oh my gosh, we were _AWESOME_ out there, Kale!" Chrona boasted as they walked side by side. She threw up her hands behind her head and grinned as wide as she possibly could. "Like any other could have done _that_. HA! _Helloooooo_ , this is why _we_ were chosen! We're naturals!" They'd received their first mission as a brand new Deathscythe and meister team, one that Kidd felt they could easily overcome, and that they _had_. Kale shook his head as Chrona continued to brag. "I say we should go get some food! I'm starving now!"

Sure, the duo had spent some time training, but this…. _this_ was the real thrill, actually doing something to a real enemy that none of their other friends could. The kishin's magic was just enough that any other student would have had trouble, but not enough that those two couldn't overcome in their new abilities in comparison to the witch they had to defeat.

Kale, like always, had very few words to say. He sent a smirk her way, though. "Yeah, sure." He had to admit, he felt pretty accomplished too. Only, he wasn't going to scream it out loud in the middle of the forest like his partner. The road where they parked his car wasn't too far ahead, but not quite in sight. It was because of safety that Kale felt they needed to draw it much closer into the woods rather than openly on a public road.

However, the two heard a rather unusual rumble in the leaves beyond their own steps. Had somebody… followed them? Kale stopped in his stride, grabbing a hold of Chrona's arm to stop her too. The weapon gasped quietly in return, holding her breath. No, they weren't alone at all. They weren't any of the lucky ones who couldn't detect souls, but they could both feel it in their bones. Someone was watching…lurking… waiting for them to continue on further.

Kale wouldn't have it. He couldn't just lead someone uninvited into their institution. "Come out already!" he shouted, nudging Chrona's arm he still held in his hand.

She'd gotten the hint well enough, and transformed back into her weapon form. Kale gripped the rolled chain tightly, his fingerless black gloves protecting his hands from the metal. Her form was that of a long-chained golden nun-chuck. At the end of the two grips, about an inch wide, a strip of silver circled around, complementing the thin silver blades that ran along each lock of the golden links of the chain itself. When looked at closely enough, one would notice numbers, one through twelve, read in a rather fancy Old English font, evenly spread around it so the spaces between each character were consistent.

Their stalker suddenly appeared before the two, gracefully stroll towards them. "So this is the newest pretty little Deathscythe they have now? Testing out your skills?"

"Kale….. " Chrona exclaimed. In a quick few seconds, they found the witch standing elegantly in front of the two, in close range enough to attack. It was really her. A rogue they'd labeled her, a witch that was banished long ago for deceitful acts and seen as a threat to her own kind, though she'd done nothing punishable for death yet. When she left the witch's town for good, the woman had disappeared, never to be seen again or ever able to be traced down. She was then deemed open game if her actions judged her to be a threat to treaty terms and her death would go forgotten and unpunished.

Liv was her name, and quite beautiful she was, really. Her black, sleeveless, slender silhouetted dress accented her figure as the bottom flare by her ankles swaying with each step. Her hair was long, and dark enough to match what she had worn. Overall, she gave a very elegant image in a dark way.

Chrona shifted back to her human form, standing beside her partner with a determined gaze. "Go back to where you came from! We mean no harm if you don't!"

"You look oddly familiar…." the witch replied, shifting her eyes to focus on Chrona. She closed her eyes for a second, in thought, chuckling to herself. "Oh yes, I know you now… the daughter of Death Scythe, Soul Eater Evans. Why, I had no idea you'd become one of _them_ now." _Them_ … at that very word, her voice shifted to something almost threatening, as if spoken from a spiteful heart.

Within a split second, a shield of razor sharp curved needles came racing towards them in the image of claws of a rage animal. Chrona instantly transformed and Kale threw the chain out widely to his left, sweeping to the side while keeping a hold of a single end with his right hand as it swept across the projectiles, deflecting them away so they did not damage him. The chain whipped around behind him and he thrust his left hand across his body, catching the second end.

" _That was a quick one, Kale! But we're going to have to be faster than this! We've done this before!_ " The meister had barely dodged it, managing to receive only one scratch upon his left cheek. Suddenly the witch shot herself straight towards them. Her hand stretched outward, her nails extending like freshly sharpened curved blades twice the length of her hand itself.

He was on top of the defense, however, whipping Chrona's chain around in a loop till it formed to a circle with each end extending past the circle boundary. He pulled the loop hole tight around her bladed nails just quick enough to stop them from piercing his face. Pulling each end further to tighten the loop till it became a straight stretch, he pushed her attack away, forcing some distance between the two again.

Reversing back to the offensive, Kale threw one end of the weapon at the witch, catching her arm and pulling it back so quick that the arm containing the blades tore off mid-way. One would think that this alone would put a damper in her fighting; however, her smile did not drop. In fact, she was rather amused, her eyes never ceasing to shift from her opponents.

"I'm impressed..." Liv shot a wide grin. "It doesn't change the despise I have for your kind, though! The time of Deathscythes is over!" Shadows formed around the torn limb end as she held it outward. Soon, the shadows created a circling mass, and it began to shrink down to the shape of an arm, her arm, in fact. "You see … I'm a fast healer." Once the shadows disappeared in an array of smoke, it appeared as though nothing had happened, as if her arm had never been removed from the beginning. The skin was scar-less and the tissue solidly attached again.

Kale stood breathless, Chrona still in weapon form. ' _I… I don't believe it… immortal?_ ' Chrona asked in shock. She began to wonder how they were going to come out alive now. What trouble had she encouraged on what could be their last day of action?

' _No… not immortal… Chrona…. Do you remember, in your historic vampire novels, where they regenerated missing body parts_?' Kale inquired. Typically, he didn't bother to read as much as she, so for him to recall such a thing at this very moment obviously meant something useful. Furthermore, the question confused her as to what his point was arriving to.

' _Yeah, where you have to chop of their- wait… now I know what you're getting to. We have to decapitate her…_ ' Chrona's focus fell off her book and turned back to the battle.

' _Right!_ ' He rushed back towards Liv, swinging the chain in variations of loops and jerks, forcing the witch into dodging his swift continuous attacks. Perhaps with this, he could pull himself and Chrona close enough to her blind side, allowing him an open opportunity to ring it around her neck when she would least suspect it. Despite his swift attack, Liv still managed to dodge each swing around. Kale once again, caught the attacking end, stopping his pursuit to distract her. "Her speed is too much for us in this state."

Liv's figure vanished from in front of the meister and weapon as she grew even more excited in battle. Shadows flashed all around them throughout the surrounding bushes and trees, disappearing and reappearing in various spots that were too unpredictable to attack. Mischievous giggles were heard from every direction, echoing about. "Where am I now? Which one is the real me?"

" _This is….more challenging than I thought it would be… time to get a little more serious._ " The reflection in the nun chuck ends reflected Chrona's smile. Both nodded. In a jump of energy, they revved up their power, matching each other's wave lengths. "Soul Resonance!" In a simultaneous shout, their souls were now connected, allowing them to think in the same pace.

The massive number of seemingly realistic duplicates attacked at once to the center where the weapon and meister still stood in their re-energized state. With each swing of his weapon, Kale's attacks went through each copy, as they vanished. He had no choice but to attack every image that approached him. Liv's soul could be sensed in every cloned body and risking the chance of waiting for the real one to expose herself could potentially lead to their passive death.

As he swung Chrona about in attempt to eliminate who was the real Liv, the clones turned into withering shadows of dust one by one as his weapon slid through them. As the number narrowed down, the pair noticed one in particularly simply standing and seemingly focused to a larger degree. That had to be the real one! Now Kale ran towards the witch, ready to strike and sever her head free from her body.

Liv knew she'd been found, though, leaning back just far enough so the sharp blades along the chain's handles flew horizontally over her face. Backing up quickly in the realization they were more capable than they appeared, the woman chanted a few words. Two kishins appeared out of thin air just behind her.

Chrona confidently laughed from her metal form. " _Kishins_? You're summoning _kishins_ to attack us? We're far beyond that!"

The two kishins doubled to four, though. Which doubled to eight. Then to sixteen. Thirty-two. Sixty-four. The meister had counted as each duplicated itself. The sight made Kales eyes open wide. A dopple-ganger!

"You see… you want to know _how_ I've managed my own as a rogue? Let's just say… I have protection, _unlimited_ protection…" Liv began to laugh madly as the kishins she'd summoned circled the pair in layers, ready to attack at once. They may have been good against one, or a few, but very unlikely had they ever faced an army like this alone! The witch couldn't stop cackling in the humor of her opponents' suddenly shaken nerves.

The pair "Kale, I'm not saying that we're going to lose, but… just in case, I want to thank you for never leaving my side. I'll never forget what great partner and friend you've been!"


	6. Chapter 6 - Vanished Knight

**Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Eater, its characters, or its concepts!**

 **Chapter 4: Vanished Knight**

Running through the forest as fast as possible, the young meister wasn't sure if he would make it in time. Would he be able to live with himself, knowing he had failed her? It was pure luck that he'd been around the area to detect the unusual number of kishins. The single threat he'd noted had turned into far more, more than these two students were capable of handling alone.

Out of breath, he finally reached to the open circle of trees of where Chrona and Kale had been surrounded. "Chrona!" the boy shouted through the crowd of kishins that blocked his view. "Kale!" he screamed out as well. What kind of man would he be to only show concern for her and not for the meister she'd entrusted so long?

Chrona, still surrounded, tried her best to gaze outside her metal form (as did Kale), looking to see who it had been that came to help. The voice sounded familiar and yet… it was too muffled through the layers of bodies to tell, though they had managed to fight through a few so far. This one was a battle of persistence, but with help, they just might get through it faster!

Realizing he had no weapon partner with him, their newly arrived meister looked around for anything viable enough to cause damage. Gasping, he saw something he could use as he glanced to his side. Perfect! It seemed someone had previously left an axe leaning against a close by trunk… although it already had a few specs of blood on it. Another battle perhaps? _Somebody_ had lost to yet another unexpected enemy…

There was no time to mourn for missing bodies, though. Running into the crowd almost recklessly, he swung the bloodied axe, severing head off head from the kishins around them. It wasn't a demon weapon, but he'd found himself to become proficient enough that he'd gained the speed and technique to eliminate one by one anyway.

At the same time, Kale continued to swing Chrona about, also killing off numbers of their enemies off at a time. The witch behind the kishin clones had at first managed to continue summoning more as they tore through them, bringing the number of their opponents no less than what it was before. However, now with _two_ slashing at them, maybe they could finally narrow it down. Surely this witch had a limit, right?

Kill after kill, the witch grew more irritated. "How dare you! This is not your fight!" She immediately stopped producing the clones and was now lunging towards the intruder. If she could take him out, she could finish the business she'd began with Kale and Chrona! _He_ wasn't a deathscythe, and would be an easy target!

The uninvited boy was not prepared for the speed she had to offer as she advanced toward him, extracting her claws from her finger tips and swiping him to the side like a cat hunting an injured mouse. Her attacked nearly knocked him out, as he was barely aware of what had just happened. Slashes were found across his face now, rather deep ones that would guarantee to leave scars.

"I won't let you kill them!" he shouted as he watched her walk slowly towards him. Gripping the axe still in his hand even tighter, he gritted his teeth, and threw himself back on his feet, swinging the weapon. She dodged too easily, though, knocking him down over and over. "Chrona! Kale! Get out of here now!"

The selfless command grasped Chrona's attention off the kishins once more. Realizing that they'd managed to take down most of the clones to get past them efficiently enough, she turned her attention to her meister. "Kale! We can't let her…!" the girl pleaded, pained to imagine what could happen if they failed to protect him.

"On it!" Kale answered, determination matching his weapon's. The duo leaped over the remaining few kishin clones, landing where the witch behind them toyed with their fellow student's life. By now, the boy the woman had slung around was slammed against another tree, knocked unconscious on the ground. His back was turned so they couldn't identify him yet. Still, he was a student, that much was obvious. "He is not your enemy! _WE_ are!"

Without a word, she turned around to face the more threatening team and lunged at them with even more speed. Seems she'd been holding back... the attacks came twice as fast as they originally had before.

Chrona's mind was scrambled in panic. ' _My mother didn't win by giving up… therefor I can't give up, either!'_ Then she perked up, a light suddenly turning on in her mind. " _Kale... I have an idea!_ " Chrona, still in weapon form, was now fired with refreshed inspiration. In the reflection of her handles, a gaze of determination to come out alive sparked once again.

"We haven't perfected it. We can't guarantee its success." His words came off in a sense of caution. Kale well understood what she was thinking. After all, the two were still resonated. Performing this technique in progress would either make them or break them. Still, they had to do something!

Kale whipped Chrona's chain around. The two combined all the energy they had left. While in resonation, this was her potential unique ability as a chain-style deathscythe. Even when done right, they only had ten seconds to perform in this mode; else they would be caught mid-way in their attack, making them more vulnerable than they already were. The duo felt their will to live drive their strength to a level higher than it had ever been. It was a move that they'd discovered once while training in their spare time.

Suddenly, their vision of time's speed changed. Now Kale could see every tenth of each second that passed. The witches face grew closer and closer from the attack that she had started. In comparison, she still remained faster than they could have ever been from the beginning before they exhausted their energy. She had already managed to get close again in the time it took for them to merely start their move.

He twisted around her side, observing every detail of the shreds in her dress, which shifted from the once elegant appeal into a sultry one. While they had the advantage of time in their hands, Chrona's weapon form was now slung around the witch's neck, whom was unaware of the slowed effect.

The five seconds of the slowed rate ended quickly, and just as time fell back into its normal speed, the witch's head was sliced off in midst of the continuance of her vicious attack to consume them. Her body dropped to the ground immediately, vanishing into the air, leaving a single floating soul in its place.

Chrona immediately transformed back into her human form. She ran to where the boy who had interrupted their fight was slung to, only to find nothing but an open patch of grass. Gazing around at the now empty spot, she spotted a left behind souvenir. It was a red soft cotton wrist band with the letter "S" thickly monogrammed into it with yellow thread. She knew who's it was immediately. "Sloan?" That boy who'd challenged her so many times… had he saved her for the sake of getting one more try? Had he been… _following_ her? What was odd was that despite how many times he'd been thrown around, there were no trails of blood to lead where he may have escaped to.

Now the Deathscythe picked up the bloodied axe he'd dropped when he fell. ' _He… didn't have an actual weapon partner with him?_ ' the girl thought to herself. Of all things, a simple axe with _no_ magic at all managed to tear through numbers of clones at a time. This… _this_ was raw skill… Just how much potential did Sloan actually have? If only he'd been capable of actually keeping a weapon partner, he could have done so much!

Her partner interrupted her moment of reflection with urgency. "We have to report to Death now, before another catches on to us, and I don't think we can handle something like that again." Something about the witches still left Kale with an unsettling distrust, despite the years of agreement there had been by now. Gently putting his hand on her shoulder, he tugged her slightly, encouraging her to return for their safety.

"But he… he's out there, somewhere!" She gazed further into the wooded area. "Sloan! Sloan, answer me!" the girl shouted.

Kale sighed, feeling helpless. He knew they were too worn out to face anything else alone and a trek to find someone who… well who might _not even_ _be_ there would risk their lives too. "We don't have enough energy left to fight anymore Chrona… Right now, we have to inform Lord Death, first. They'll send someone, I'm sure of it."

Chrona's eyes fell down back to the ground in wonder of whether he'd found escape or _else_ … "Yeah…" The very reckless, notorious, immature boy who'd demanded a date of her had risked his life to save them, to save _her_ , and she'd _failed_ him.


	7. Chapter 7 - Early Resignation

Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Eater, its characters, or its concepts!

Chapter 7: Early Resignation

Black Star stood firmly in front of the Shibusen training ground. The vast field contained a great number of training devices. The students scattered in front of him were still in their white dingy gis with belts of various colors wrapped around their waist indicating their levels of achievement. Sweat dripped down their faces after two hours of training, Black Star style. Many of the other students had already left for the day.

Shortly, Kid approached the physical fitness instructor. "I see things are going well so far!" Kid was always pleased with how Black Star trained his students, with a hint of discipline. They needed these elements since nothing seemed to disturb the peace to push them otherwise. "Sorry to interrupt you, but I need to speak to you for a moment." The students ahead paused, curious to know what he had to say

"Up and at em', guys! Don't you stop now just because _he's_ here!" Black Star shouted, pointing a thumb Kidd's way.

The Shinigami grinned sheepishly. Something about the way he'd said it… would the ninja ever get over his own ego? Now that the students had resumed their exercises and sparring, the two men turned to face each other. "Black Star," Kidd began with a disappointed sigh. "You're going to be short one student now. For some unexplained reason, we've received a resignation notice from Sloan."

"What? Sloan's left DWMA?" Kidd nodded to his question. "That idiot… he was my number one student! Why would he just up and leave like that?"

"Honestly, I don't know. The notice seems pretty legit from what I can tell, but I'm going to try to look into it. There really was no explanation. What's ironic is that he left immediately after facing a witch he wasn't noticeably prepared for."

Black Star huffed under his breath in wonder as he said the witch's name. " _Liv_ … I don't think anyone expected her to pop up like that. I mean, yeah, we obviously solved that mystery of finding her now. But still, the boy was doing so well, top of this class in fact, despite his… _rebellious_ ways."

"Mr. Star!" a student interrupted, panting from the tiring and repetitive cycles of single-handed push-ups. "What's going on? Are we free to go or somethin'?"

That greeting… the one the blue haired man hated! "It's _master_ , mind you!' Mr.' makes it seem like I'm old, which I'm _not_ …" The usual confident grin spread across his face. "Ahem… All you should know right now is that you are to continue training… If I see anyone slacking I'll take you on myself!" There was no way he was going to let them go home without any pain! No pain, no game was his theory.

The group of boys who'd stopped gasped in panic. Face Black Star?! Their instructor would pummel them to the ground! In a sudden burst of motivation, they all instantly went back to their drills and excused the men to finish their conversation. The sight made Kidd chuckle a little.

"I'll get back with you when I get an answer, 'Star. You may resume your class!" With a courteous bow, Kidd left the training field under the ninja's care again.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Inside the school halls, a group of students stood in a close circle among each other. "Did you hear anything about the other night?" The blonde's words struck a conversation that caught all her friends' attention. Her voice remained low, almost to a whisper, but audible enough for her friends nearby to hear.

"What are you talking about? I was at home all weekend, trying to study! You know I'm not good at this sort of test. Biology sucks!" her friend replied, sighing in disappointment of missing out on any action they could talk about. Curiosity filled her deep amber eyes hidden under her brunette bangs.

"You don't know? Remember that Sloan guy?"

"You're talking about that meister in the combat class? Supposedly he's ranked number one in there!" The third friend commented.

"Oh yeah, he's the one that declared to fight his crush! I don't get how that would attract anybody…. To get beat up?" The brunette gave a skeptical look, wondering how any such an action would win a woman's heart. After all, weren't guys supposed to be courteous, pulls chairs out, open doors, and give presents to their woman?

Chrona walked confidently through the school. She happily hummed a random tune, making it up as she went along, a slight strut in her stride. Finally, she reached her locker, and popped it open quickly, grabbing her text book that she would need for the first upcoming course. ' _They thought I was a challenge before… just wait till they see me now!_ ' Because, of course, who else would possibly know how to control time?

Her newest achievement certainly didn't change her attitude about voluntarily causing chaos. In fact, it was no surprise if it had only enhanced it. Some might wonder if it was even a mistake to allow her to become a death scythe. She stopped humming the gleeful tune, noticing the chatter going on around her as she stood near the gossiping girls. ' _Wait, are they talking about… Sloan?_ '

The nearby blond continued her story as Chrona began to pay closer attention. "Well supposedly, he dropped out for no reason!" The grouped girls were shocked.

Sloan was the kind of boy who learned quickly enough to achieve over his instructors, having nearly out-grappled Black Star alone. (Of course, Black Star had more experience.) He was the kind of boy who wasn't afraid of anything and did what he wanted to without worrying about what others thought. He was the kind of boy that intimidated others by his loud personality.

"That's not what I heard. I heard he was kicked out! He's just trouble anyway, talented or not. It's no wonder he couldn't keep a partner!" The girls laughed as they walked off, moving their conversation to downsize another innocent student.

Chrona stood in shock. ' _Dropped out? Kicked out? It can't be true… he's more stubborn than that, he wouldn't let himself get expelled… unless… no, that incident with Liv wasn't his fault!_ ' Mina and Jade walked up behind her and stood for a moment. When they realized that she was in a deep consultation with herself, Mina proceeded to tap her on the shoulder.

"Uh, Chrona? Earth to Chrona!" Chrona jumped in surprise to the call. "Geez, you mean it's actually possible to scare you?" she continued, laughing and ringing around her short pink curly hair with her finger. Her green, almost mid-drift sleeveless shirt expressed her lack of enjoyment to wear clothes, as though it was equal to marrying a demon.

"Oh! Ah…. I guess so!" Chrona threw her hand behind her head, blushing in embarrassment. If she told anybody that Sloan was with her before his disappearance, then everybody might start blaming her. It was a relief to know that she wouldn't be stalked obsessively anymore, but still lurking in her mind was the wonder of where he'd disappeared to so quickly.

Jade saw what Mina had not. The two were polar opposites in personality, but Jade cared just as much for Chrona as she did for her own. Her white-haired friend was the one who often put excitement in life, set aside from Mina's escapades. "You're not yourself, Chrona. It's surprising that you're not out reading or enticing some trouble. What's up?"

The death scythe looked back at Jade. She shrugged the issue off her mind quickly. Besides it wasn't that important. This was _Sloan_ she was talking about. "Oh, nothing… just can't decide what to read next!" Chrona gave a convincing smile, raising a book in her hand. ' _Sloan… you're such a stubborn idiot! Who am I going to challenge now…_ '


	8. Chapter 8 - Hallucination

Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Eater, its characters, or its concepts!

Chapter 5 – Hallucination

Soul grazed quietly through the hall ways in his usual routine. It was the beginning of a new day and it was a rare moment when no student was allowed to roam the halls without attained permission. Their unison presence in the first few fifteen minutes of the day where they would be accounted for ensured their safety, making sure one hadn't gone missing since previous events.

Lord Death insisted on keeping one of his most skilled deathscythes around regularly, even if nothing else had occurred yet. It was important for Soul's presence and it helped Soul even feel more comfortable knowing he was close to his daughter.

Over the previous years, several of his deathscythes and fellow friends had passed during unspoken tragic events of the past. Now only five remained: Spirit, Marie, Soul, Tsubaki, and newly invited to the crew of elites, Chrona. It was merely by suggestion from a familiar wise man that he'd selected the white haired teen to join when they'd been allocated a witch soul they could use. Although others might have believed it to be biasty considering the connection Chrona had with them.

Where were the rest of them now, you ask? Spirit had opted to stay where his daughter once lived. Some thought he'd been here out of a wish to see her return by some miracle, as if nothing or nobody had taken her away. Tsubaki and her meister had taken a short vacation away from Death City, on top of the intent to briefly check in on other places as they went along. In a sense, it was a vacation, but it served as extra eyes outside.

As for Marie, she had no _real_ obligation to necessarily fight at the moment. She often took many out town trips, returning regularly to make sure the school was still doing well. Consider it a partial retirement, if you may… Patty and Liz? Well, with the Shinigami's power alone, they'd exerted enough strength in their shots as is. Kidd could never gather the courage to make just _one_ into a Deathscythe, nor the patience to obtain one more witch soul to turn the other later.

And Soul… He was still young, strong… It'd simply been convenient to keep Soul around, given his abilities and resonation capabilities. Soul didn't seem to have a _real_ motivation to branch out beyond his daughter's place of residence. And so now here he was, walking the silent halls as he served Lord Death as a guardian of Shibusen and a reserve weapon when he needed the power of an official deathscythe. (Because Spirit was just so… _Spirit_.)

As Soul's mind began to zone out on the pearly white walls, his vision began to blur. The man stopped to rub his eyes some, but when he opened them back up, thick clouds appeared before him, making it difficult to see what was ahead. The man blinked, shifting his vision to focus beyond the grey puffs that'd so unexpectedly appeared. He prepared an arm with his blade, ready to attack whatever had managed to infiltrate the DWMA without notice, but what had appeared before him wasn't at all what he'd expected.

"Is this…? No, this couldn't be real…" Soul stumbled forward best he could in his state of confusion, nearly tripping on invisible obstacles. The weapon had become dizzy, or was it was merely his exhaustion that threw the drunk-like sway on his step?

He finally reached where the young woman he'd somehow spotted stood, clearing out of the steamy smoke at last. "Maka? Is it really you?" He leaped forward, wrapping his arms around her tight as he could. It was no mistake. His lover had returned! "Maka! I promise I'll never let you down again!" His eyes began to well up in tears as he could do nothing more than keep his face buried into her neck, feeling the warmth of her skin.

The scene began to reveal its facade, however. Just as he brought his head back up to gaze into the jade eyes he missed so much, the image vanished back into smoke, and dropped in a pile of dust, disappearing as it hit the ground. "Maka!"

His returned to the reality of the empty halls, having found himself fallen forward onto the marble floor. His forearms stung from the hard impact. What had he looked like, just letting himself fall down like that? Luckily, no one had seen it. "Just an illusion…" Soul said under quiet, but heavy breath. Regaining himself back on his feet, he'd learned he wasn't alone after all.

"Are you okay?" Kid appeared behind Soul rather unexpectedly.

"Wait, did you see…." Soul began hesitantly. He'd given a long pause, scared to finish the question. ' _He couldn't … he'd certainly be just as shocked if he had seen Maka standing there, too, you idiot!_ ' Now a blush of embarrassment grew over his tan cheeks.

Kidd just raised a single brow, worried about his friend's sanity. "You fall? Of course. If you're not well, why don't you try relaxing for a moment? It's quiet enough." Despite Kid's optimistic words, he couldn't help but to wonder what had Soul so exhausted.

"Right…" Sighing in relief, the weapon realized he probably _did_ need a break if he was seeing imaginary people. The death scythe stood back up, his breath finally caught back up. The mirage left him with a feeling of discomfort. He began to walk off, throwing his hand up in gesture that he would return to his duty soon. The opportunity to relax would surely bring his mind back on track. Perhaps then he could stop showing such display of weakness.

"Say, Soul, before you go, there was something I wanted to ask you." Kid knew that he wasn't completely happy. He had changed from the day he lost Maka, but lately, it had grown worse. It wasn't that having Chrona in his life still wasn't enough, but rather a cold, shut out feeling he'd exhibited.

Soul stopped, turning around halfway to listen to Kid's inquiry. ' _He doesn't know about that vision, does he? I can't let him know. He'll just ask me about it even further. I shut it all away a long time ago so it wouldn't hurt, and there's no reason to face it even now. All it'll do is mess things up. Chrona is all I need to live for._ ' He didn't care to discuss any of the past. It was already defused, and as he saw it, ignoring the subject had suited his days well enough to keep it that way.

"I want to start a music class… and I want _you_ to teach it. I can see through your fake smiles, Soul, and I want to help. Maybe a change of pace could bring your spirit back up. Your love for music would really bring enlightenment to the institution, as well as to the kids too!" Kid's smile was genuine. He had put a lot of thought into the suggestion, as well as consideration for the school, students, and Soul. The opportunity would even provide students with a chance to explore their imagination in the field of musical arts.

Soul sighed, trying to shrug off the feeling of obligation to the unexpected request. "I don't know… really, I'm content enough where I'm at. (Even though this was a lie.) Besides, playing for people isn't really my thing anymore…" He thought back to when he played for Maka. There was once a time when he actually enjoyed displaying his musical abilities for simple pleasure. Back then, it might have been worth it, but now… what was it worth anymore if she wasn't there to hear it?

"I see…" The Shinigami was disappointed in the answer he had received. "At any rate, the offer is open to you anytime you like. Think about it, okay, but don't take too long. I just want to see you and the students happy. Now go sit down a bit. Get yourself refreshed! The school will be just fine!" Soul trudged off, obeying the command, rubbing at his face a bit. Kid's eyes shifted to a look of concern as Soul disappeared around the winding corners of the hallway. ' _Not his thing? Where has his confidence gone?_ '


	9. Chapter 9 - Baggy Eyes and Luncheons

Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Eater, its characters, or its concepts!

Chapter 9: Baggy Eyes and Luncheons

Days later, and it'd still just felt like another day. Students were packed in the cafeteria, gossiping, complaining and joking amongst each other. Tsubaki remained absorbed in her work as a clerk, her face nearly super-glued to the phone. Her pleasant ways and patience was unparalleled. Her communication skills and impervious ability to understand anybody's situation gave the front line the best known service and reputation it could have.

Almost dancing outside the office was Marie, who had volunteered to be the first to break away from her duties. "Yes! Break time finally!" Marie exclaimed, throwing her arms high into the air, her hands in fists, as though she were celebrating a victory. Her positive attitude never ceased to drop, leaving everyone wondering just what medication or drink she'd been on. She leaped off merrily to where the other staff spent their free time.

However, today the lounge was packed. Marie glanced around, trying to find a close friend from her generation. As of late, Shibusen had been experiencing a lot of new and young, but seemingly worthy, faces showing up. Many they knew had already retired and moved on to apprehending their last minute dreams of relaxation. It was no bother, though, seeing that they had earned it.

Just as she had nearly given up on finding a familiar body and decided on sitting by herself for the day, she spotted a recognizable head of white hair. "Soul!" she exclaimed thankfully, a smile still on her face. Excited for the familiar company, she quickly made her way to where the man sat. "I almost thought I was going to have to eat alone—uh… Soul?" His head was lain down into his crossed arms. ' _Awww, Soul's asleep! I wonder how long he's been out. I think I'll pester him a bit anyway_!'

She prodded his shoulder lightly with her forefinger. "No Maka… stop…" he muttered incoherently. Marie could only chuckle at seeing him talk in his sleep, though it struck her curiosity. Nosiness was, in no way, appropriate, but he seemed rather distant lately. Maybe this was a good opportunity to find out what was _really_ going on in his mind, since he refused to speak aloud in his consciousness.

Proceeding to bend down so her head was close behind his, she replied, hoping to get another answer. "Yes, Soul?" Amused at what she was actually attempting to pull off, she fully expected him to talk back, anticipating a quick answer. His reaction was not what she had expected, however.

Rather, he pulled his head up quickly with a fast jerk into consciousness. As he did, the back of his head clashed into her forehead, with a loud thud upon the collision. "Owww!" The sudden jolt was certainly enough to wake him up! He sighed heavily, after noticing his surroundings. "Oh… Just another dream…" The bags under his eyes showed that he had been lacking sleep. Finally, Soul noticed Marie, who was giving him a baffling look from behind. "Don't do that again, Marie! You frightened me!"

Rubbing her head, she replied to his half-sleepy self, laughing it off. "Ha-ha, Right! You'd think I learned my lesson by now, huh?" Still laughing off the minor bump of heads, she continued. "I'm sorry I disturbed you! Mind if join you?" He nodded in approval. As she pulled another chair out and sat beside him, the question that pondered in her mind was what the dream must have been about.

Unsure of whether to pry into his business, she tried to shift the subject lightly, only to find curiosity overpowering her plan to evade such temptations. "So, Soul… what did you mean by 'another'? You look rather exhausted!" She looked deeply into his eyes, trying to decipher his thoughts. He hid it quite well, too well for her to read, though.

"It's just that…" Soul began, but paused, wondering just how much to say. Coffee had been his best friend lately since late nights kept him up, and the minutes he did sleep filled his mind with images of the wife he'd missed dearly. "It's nothing really. Turning away from her gaze, Soul rubbed his eyes, attempting to wake himself up again. "Yeah, I'm alright. Just had a bad dream from last night."

Oh, but it'd been more than that one night… Truth was he'd been seeing her in his slumber every night. He would… wake, if that's what you'd call it, in the dark, checker-floored room, sat in the soft velvet chair, and there she would be, ready to talk to him and remind him of the moments he lost. It felt as though he were emotionally reliving that fateful night over and over.

Still, at least this response would throw her off the topic without causing too much worry. ' _I can't keep going through this… I'm losing sleep over something that shouldn't matter anymore. Sleeping at work…. You're such an idiot, Soul! Not cool at all…_ ' the weapon thought to himself. This was a very close call, too close.

Marie laid a hand on his arm. "If you need someone to talk to, I'm here for you, Soul!" She wore the same comforting smile again. Looking into her eyes alone could sooth any negative mood, at least for most. "You don't have to pretend you're alone now." These words did not faze Soul. He knew he wasn't alone, but words alone were not comforting enough to send the feeling away.

Marie could only sigh in with little content. "Have you eaten?" she asked insistently.

Soul shook his head. "Don't worry about it, Marie. I'm not really hungry. "

"Soul…" Ahh, that tone of discipline. "Seriously, you've gotta take better care of yourself! Now come on with me for lunch, or I'll tell Kidd you were sleeping on the clock!" Maybe she couldn't get him to talk, but she wasn't going to let him starve himself.

The deathscythe sighed reluctantly. " _Fine_ … but only because you asked, alright?"


End file.
